Today, you are a member of… That Ridiculous Mansuit

As Erving Goffman liked to point out, we all have masks and costumes, members. And he wasn’t just referring to Jason’s hockey equipment, Marilyn Monroe’s blond or Gene Simmons’ bitchen’ grease paint. Included in his speculations are the often conformist expressions, attitudes, and expectations we wear out of the house to hide what we really think. Which is why members ought to avoid dreaming up Halloween costumes that further obscure what seldom gets facetime: the ego incognito. Forget the ‘sexy nurse’ get up; go to your pumpkin shindig as something dug up from the interior, say, an extreme hatred of John Wayne or a secret delight in linear algebra. Sure after having a looksy for research you may find yourself dressed like a rubber-skinned, multiple-stomached, titanium-boned, atomic monstrosity, but hey, at least you’ll buck the current trend in very public lying. So suit up, scare out, and show off what lies beneath that ridiculous mansuit.